OREANDA-NEWS. Vistara's inaugural flight which took off from Delhi at 12.30 pm this afternoon, landed at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Terminal 2 at 2.45 pm. The Vistara aircraft, branded in royal aubergine and gold, was accorded the traditional water cannon salute as it landed. All dignitaries onboard the first flight - Goh Choon Phong, CEO, Singapore Airlines; Prasad Menon, Chairman, Vistara; Dr Mukund Rajan; Mak Swee Wah; members of the board of directors; Phee Teik Yeoh, CEO, Vistara; GM Rao, Chairman, GMR Group; Robert Martin, CEO, BoC Aviation; Dr Srinivasan Dwarakanath, CEO, Airbus India; NS Rajan; Madhu Kannan, Tata Sons, GEC Members and the group of children from Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT) were received by Cyrus P Mistry, Chairman, Tata Sons, Dr GVK Reddy, Founder Chairman & Managing Director, GVK; Sanjay Reddy, MD, GVK MIAL; and Rajeev Jain, CEO, GVK MIAL in Mumbai. The guests were accorded a traditional Indian welcome and directed towards the Baggage Claim area. Everyone on board the inaugural flight received a certificate and special Vistara hamper to commemorate the airline's first flight.

Expressing his delight on the occasion, Mr Mistry said, "Witnessing the launch of Vistara, whose roots are entwined with the history of Tatas, is indeed a proud moment. As an offering of Tata and SIA, I am confident that Vistara will focus on delivering service excellence to its customers and set new industry standards. The Indian aviation sector is on the cusp of transformation and I hope the airline scales greater heights in times to come."

Dr Reddy said, "We are very happy to welcome Vistara, which will operate out of GVK CSIA's T2, and are very confident of delivering a seamless travel experience for their travellers, in line with the brand values of the new airline. I wish the Vistara team all the very best in their endeavours for providing new service standards in the airline industry in India."

Mr Lee said, "With India's aviation market growing so rapidly, there could be no better time for Vistara to commence operations. We see great potential in the country and are confident that Vistara will take forward everything that SIA and Tatas stand for, in terms of providing the best-quality products and services to customers."

Mr Menon said, "It's an overwhelming feeling to be a part of this journey. I was on board the inaugural flight and got an opportunity to observe our customers and engage with them. As we touched down at the terminal in Mumbai multiple thoughts raced through my mind and many emotions tugged at my heart. It is an experience that can't be expressed in words."

Mr Yeoh said, "To start a new airline is an opportunity of a lifetime and I consider myself honoured to have been part of this rare yet hugely momentous occasion. To see customers alighting fresh and happy after their flight is immensely satisfying. I can confidently say that this is just the beginning and our journey will get more exciting and more inspiring going forward. The wonderful reception we received in the presence of Mr Mistry has ensured that this day will go down as a red-letter day in the history of Vistara."